I.

Introduction

Bedouins, nomadic Arabs inhabiting desert areas of the Middle East and northern Africa. In ancient times their territory included only the deserts of the Middle East. The Muslim conquest of northern Africa in the 7th century opened vaster tracts to the Bedouins. Although they form only a small part of the population of these areas, they use a great deal of territory.

Beginning about 1045 and continuing at a decreasing rate for several centuries, Bedouin nomads from central Arabia invaded northern Africa. These invaders took over all suitable grazing land and upset the balanced agricultural and urban civilization that the resident Berbers had achieved. The Bedouin flocks destroyed most of the natural ground cover; by overgrazing, the flocks turned pastureland into semidesert. Some of this balance has been restored, however, and today many Middle Eastern and North African states have tried to curtail the movement of Bedouin groups from one country to another.